Hollow elongated support structure comprising a transverse flange at each of its ends

ABSTRACT

A hollow elongated support structure designed in particular to support a motor vehicle fittings located at right angle with the instrument panel, the ends of the structure ( 10 ) including an end flange ( 100 ) arranged transversely for fixing and/or maintaining the instrument panel itself, and/or for fixing the hollow support structure ( 10 ) to the vehicle body: each end flange ( 100 ) is integral with a plastic end cap ( 20, 30 ) inserted into the support structure ( 10 ), at the ends thereof with which it is integral.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is the national stage of International Application PCT/FR99/02210filed on Sep. 16, 1999, which designated the United States of America.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an elongate hollow support structureintended in particular to support the equipment units in the vicinity ofthe dashboard of an automobile vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This kind of support structure is well known in the art; usuallyreferred to as a crossmember, it is made of metal and disposedtransversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle at the front end ofthe passenger compartment and supports equipment units such as thedashboard itself, the steering column, the heater or air-conditioner,the air bag(s) and other equipment.

The crossmember is generally fixed to the frame of the body of thevehicle near its ends. To this end, members are attached, in particularwelded, to its ends, as described in the document EP-A-694 465, U.S.Pat. No. 4,826,235 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,023, for example. This methodis costly.

It has also been proposed to fasten to each end of the beam structure atransverse flange for fixing and/or retaining the dashboard itself, thecontour of said flanges matching the section of the dashboard or evenits trim.

Until now the above kind of flanges have been welded to the supportstructure. Apart from the fact that this operation is difficult andcostly, it does not facilitate storing or transporting structuresequipped in this way to the place where the vehicles are assembled,especially as said flanges can be large; moreover, they are fragile andcan be deformed during storage or transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an elongate hollow support structureintended in particular to support the equipment units of an automobilevehicle in the vicinity of its dashboard, the ends of said structureincluding a transverse end flange for fixing and/or retaining thedashboard itself and/or for fixing the hollow support structure to thebody of the vehicle, said support structure having a lower unit costthan prior art support structures.

According to the invention, a support structure of the above kind ischaracterized in that each end flange is fastened to a plastics materialplug inserted into said support structure, to the ends of which it isfastened.

The plug advantageously includes a baseplate from which protrudes ablock, said baseplate projecting relative to the block to define aperipheral transverse rim.

If the section of the structure delimits a plurality of closed spaces, aplurality of blocks preferably protrude from the baseplate and each ofsaid blocks is adapted to be mounted in one of said spaces.

The plug is advantageously adapted to be force-fitted into saidstructure.

If the structure includes transversely facing openings for fixingmembers for fixing the structure to the body or the plug to thestructure, to pass through then the plug has a passage through italigned with said openings.

The openings and the passage preferably have an oblong section.

The passage is advantageously bordered by a metal tube.

The plug is preferably molded over the metal tube.

The inside surface of one or both ends of the hollow support structureadapted to receive a plug is preferably provided with means forfacilitating aligning the passage(s) with said openings.

The inside surface of the ends of the structure is advantageously not asurface of revolution.

The inside surface of one or both ends of the hollow support structureis preferably a surface of revolution and has a notch at the end adaptedto cooperate with a raised portion on the outside surface of theplug(s).

The plug is advantageously fastened to the end flange by means of abracket having rims attached, for example welded, to the end flange.

The plug is preferably a block which has a groove in which the bracketlocates, straddling the block.

The plug is advantageously a block molded onto the bracket.

The bracket is advantageously generally U-shaped and the passage in theplug is advantageously parallel to the flanges of the bracket.

The bracket is advantageously generally U-shaped and the passage in theplug is advantageously perpendicular to the flanges of the bracket whichare advantageously provided with openings aligned with the end of thepassage.

Alternatively, the end flange has an anchorage over which the plug ismolded; the anchorage is obtained by cutting and pressing; the anchorageis obtained by cutting and bending lugs.

The openings of the structure are advantageously obtained byhydroforming and the block advantageously has a lateral notch foravoiding a tongue resulting from hydroforming when mounting the plug inthe structure.

To explain the purpose of the invention better, embodiments of theinvention shown in the appended drawings by way of purely illustrativeand non-limiting example will now be described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a support structure according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the support structure from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the support structure without its flanges in sectiontaken along the line III—III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view of the support structure without its flanges in sectiontaken along the line IV—IV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial elevation view of a flange included in the supportstructure shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and equipped with a plug;

FIG. 6 is a view in the direction of the arrow VI in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view in section taken along the line III—III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a partial elevation view of a flange included in the supportstructure from FIGS. 1 to 4 and equipped with a different plug;

FIG. 9 is a view in the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken along the line IV—IV in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an end flange equipped with a differentplug;

FIG. 12 is a partial plan view of the plug in the direction of the arrowXII in FIG. 11 and to a larger scale;

FIG. 13 is a view in the direction of the arrow XIII in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a part-sectional view showing a different embodiment of theplug shown in FIGS. 11 to 13;

FIG. 15 is a view in the direction of the arrow XV in FIG. 14 showingonly the block;

FIG. 16 is a view in section taken along the line XVI—XVI in FIG. 15;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are analogous to FIGS. 15 and 16 and show a differentembodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 19 and 20 each show in perspective one embodiment of an end flangeprovided with an anchorage adapted to have a block of plastics materialmolded over it.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a support structure 10 obtained by assembling aglobally rectangular section tube 12 extending the entire length of thestructure from its driver end 14 to its passenger end 15; starting fromthe driver end 14 of the structure 10, and over almost half the lengthof the structure 10, the tube 12 has a rectangular section with roundededges; beyond a connection area, and as far as the passenger end 15, itssection is larger and practically square. A tube of the above kind isconveniently obtained by hydroforming a cylindrical tube to a constantperimeter. A hydroforming process of the above kind is described in thedocument EP-A-0 294 034 in particular.

At the driver end 14, a U-shaped beam 11 is welded to the tube 12, whichis partly engaged between the flanges of the U-shape of the U-shapedbeam 11, which extends from the driver end 14 along the smaller sectionpart of the tube 13 and is then joined to its larger section part, whosesection is nevertheless smaller than that surrounded by the beam 11.This produces a support structure 10 of high inertia, including in thearea near the driver end which supports the steering column. Thereference numbers 13 indicate locations for fixing equipment units inthe vicinity of the dashboard; they are generally plain or threadedholes with or without a flange.

The support structure 10 has at each end one or more pairs of facingtransverse openings to accommodate fixing members such as bolts forfixing the support structure 10 to the frame of the body of the vehicle;two pairs of openings are provided at the driver end 14, one pair ofopenings 16 in the walls of the beam 11 and the tube 12 and one pair ofopenings 18 in the walls of the beam 11 only; a single pair of openings17 is provided at the passenger end 15; all the above openings arepreferably oblong to allow for variations in the dimensions of the body.

The support structure 10 according to the invention has a flange 100 ateach end fitted with a plastics material plug.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show only the plug for the driver end 14 of the supportstructure 10; the plug 20 has a plane baseplate 24 from which emerge twoblocks 21 and 22 separated by a gap 23.

Each block 21, 22 has a respective passage 26, 28 through it whosesection corresponds to that of the openings 16, 18; each passage 26, 28is bordered by an oblong metal tube 27, 29 around which the blocks 21and 22 are molded. The block 21 is adapted to be force-fitted into thetube 12 and the block 22 is adapted to be force-fitted into the closedspace of the beam 11 delimited by the tube 12; forming bosses (notshown) on the peripheral surfaces of the blocks 21, 22 enables theperipheral surfaces of the blocks 21, 22 to deform slightly toaccommodate variations in the dimensions of the blocks; the length ofthe oblong tube 27 corresponds to the distance between the inside wallsof the tube 12 defining the openings 16 and the length of the oblongtube 29 corresponds to the distance between the inside walls of theflanges of the U-shaped beam 11; the two blocks 21, 22 naturally sharethe baseplate 24, which joins them together, the whole being molded inone piece; the width of the gap 23 corresponds to the thickness of thewall of the tube 12 inside the beam 11, which it is adapted to receive.The baseplate 24 projects relative to the blocks 21, 22 to define aperipheral transverse rim 25.

Accordingly, it will be clear that when the plug is force-fitted intothe beam structure 10 it is fastened to it and forms an integral part ofsaid structure, requiring neither gluing nor welding; as shown in FIG.7, when it is in place the passages 26, 28 are perfectly aligned withthe respective transversely facing opening 16, 18 and the plug 20 ispositioned in the support structure 10 by coming into abuttingengagement against the edge of the rim 25 defined around the blocks 21,22 by the baseplate 24 at the end of the support structure 10; note thatthe ends of the oblong tubes 27, 29 are then in line with, and virtuallyin contact with, the walls of the tube 12 and the beam 11 incorporatingthe openings: the oblong tubes 27, 29 act as spacers preventing thesewalls from buckling on tightening up the fixing members for the supportstructure 10 that pass through the passages 26, 28; thanks to theinvention, the oblong tubes are perfectly positioned, in an economicalmanner, without it being necessary to use a template; also, the passages26, 28 guide the fixing members when the support structure 10 is mountedon the frame of the body.

FIGS. 8 to 10 are respectively analogous to FIGS. 5 to 7 that have justbeen described, but show the plug 30 at the passenger end 15 of thesupport structure 10; unchanged relative to the plug 20 in all otherrespects, the plug 30 comprises only one plastics material block 31upstanding from a baseplate 34 defining a rim 35 around it and only onepassage 36 bordered by an oblong tube 37; the block 31 matches thesection of the tube 12 at the passenger end 15.

In the embodiments that have just been described the passages 26, 28, 36are bordered by respective oblong tubes 27, 29, 37; in an embodimentwhich is not shown the oblong tubes are dispensed with; the plasticsmaterial of the plugs can be polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride orpolyethylene.

The plugs described hereinabove are connected to the end flanges 100 byany appropriate means.

In FIGS. 11 to 13 the plug 40, which has a circular section passage 46through it, consists of a block 41 of plastics material molded over agenerally U-shaped metal bracket 42 having a core 43 and two flanges 44embedded in the block 41; the flanges 44 of the bracket 42 are extendedexternally of the block 41 by coplanar rims 45 parallel to the core 43and extending in opposite directions; the plug 40 is fixed to the flange100 by means of the rims 45, for example by spot welds 47.

Accordingly, the plug 40 equipped with the flange 100 can be insertedinto the support structure 10 on the vehicle assembly line just beforethe structure is fixed to the frame of the body and the drawbacksreferred to hereinabove are avoided.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 show a plug 50 analogous to the plug 40 describedhereinabove but in which the bracket 42 does not have the plasticsmaterial block 51 molded over it; the block has at the periphery ofthree of its sides a groove 53 whose width corresponds to that of thebracket 42; the U-shape of the bracket 42 fits in the groove 43, therebystraddling the block 51, and the bracket is then fixed to the flange100; the block 51 is retained laterally by means of the groove 53; notealso that the cross section of the plastics material block 51 isglobally circular, the plug being designed to be fitted to a tubularsection support structure 10; thus the invention applies to any kind ofstructure, regardless of its section.

In the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 16, thepassage 46 or 56 is parallel to the flanges of the bracket 53; in adifferent embodiment, not shown, the passage is perpendicular to theflanges of the bracket, i.e. parallel to the core of said bracket, andin this case the flanges of the bracket incorporate openings alignedwith the ends of the passage 46, 56.

Support structures like the support structure 10 can be obtained byhydroforming; the hydroforming process can also be used to form theopenings 16, 17 or 18: in this case, as is known in the art, thematerial displaced to form the openings is not separated from thestructure but remains attached to it on the inside like a tongue andperpendicular to the wall in which the corresponding opening is formed;in this case it is advantageous to provide in the plastics materialblock a lateral notch 54 (see FIGS. 17 and 18) to avoid these tonguesduring mounting of the plug in the support structure.

FIG. 19 shows an end flange 100 in which an anchorage 61 has been formedby cutting and stamping and over which the plastics material block hasbeen molded, avoiding the need to use a bracket.

FIG. 20 shows an anchorage for the fastening material block which isformed by two lugs 62 cut and bent out from the flange 100.

In all the foregoing, the plugs are advantageously force-fitted into theends of the support structure; similar results are obtained simply byinserting the plugs into the ends of the support structure and retainingthem there temporarily using retaining means such as screws, pins orother such means, final fastening together of the plug and the structurebeing achieved by fixing the structure to the frame of the body; ofcourse, in this case, the plugs and support structure are adapted toreceive said retaining means.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elongate hollow support structure forsupporting the equipment units of an automobile vehicle in the vicinityof its dashboard, said structure having ends which include a transverseend flange for fixing or retaining the dashboard itself or for fixingthe hollow support structure to the body of the vehicle; wherein eachend flange is fastened to a plastic material plug inserted into saidsupport structure, to the ends thereof with which it is fastened.
 2. Thestructure according to claim 1, wherein the plug includes a baseplatefrom which protrudes a block; said baseplate projecting relative to theblock to define a peripheral transverse rim.
 3. The structure accordingto claim 2, wherein the section of said structure delimits a pluralityof closed spaces, a plurality of blocks protrude from the baseplate, andeach of said blocks is structured and arranged to be mounted in one ofsaid spaces.
 4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the plug isstructured and arranged to be force-fitted into said structure.
 5. Thestructure according to claim 1, wherein said structure includestransversely racing openings for fixing members to pass through, andsaid plug has a passage therethrough aligned with said openings.
 6. Thestructure according to claim 5, wherein the openings and the passagehave an oblong section.
 7. The structure according to claim 5, whereinthe passage is bordered by a metal tube.
 8. The structure according toclaim 7, wherein the plug is molded over the metal tube.
 9. Thestructure according to claim 5, wherein the inside surface of one orboth ends of the hollow support structure structured and arranged toreceive a plug is provided with means for facilitating aligning thepassage with said openings.
 10. The structure according to claim 9,wherein the inside surface of the ends of the structure is not a surfaceof revolution.
 11. The structure according to claim 9, wherein theinside surface of one or both ends of the hollow support structure is asurface of revolution and has a notch at the end structured and arrangedto cooperate with a raised portion on the outside surface of the plug.12. The structure according to claim 5, wherein the plug is fastened tothe end flange by a bracket having rims attached to the end flange. 13.The structure according to claim 12, wherein the plug is a block whichhas a groove in which the bracket fits, straddling the block.
 14. Thestructure according to claim 12, wherein the plug is a block molded ontothe bracket.
 15. The structure according to claim 12, wherein thebracket is generally U-shaped and the passage in the plug is parallel toflanges of the bracket.
 16. The structure according to claim 12, whereinthe bracket is generally U-shaped and the passage in the plug isperpendicular to flanges of the bracket which are provided with openingsaligned with the end of the passage.
 17. The structure according toclaim 1, wherein the end flange has an anchorage over which the plug ismolded.
 18. The structure according to claim 17, wherein the anchorageis obtained by cutting and pressing.
 19. The structure according toclaim 17, wherein the anchorage is obtained by cutting and bending lugs.20. The structure according to claim 13, wherein the plug comprises ablock and the openings of the structure are obtained by hydroforming,and the block has a lateral notch for avoiding a tongue resulting fromhydroforming when mounting the plug in the structure.
 21. The structureaccording to claim 1, wherein the plug is fastened to the end flange bya bracket having rims attached to the end flange.